Good morning, Cookeville.

The AP reports that an air traffic controller in Pueblo, Colorado, now flies to work by paramotor once a week. He straps a propeller to his back and makes the 20-minute trip at about 35 mph. He says it's a little slower than driving and a lot more fun. With The Willows opening Wednesday night, I'm pricing propellers for South Willow.

In today's Cookeville Scoop:

Let's get into it.

Today is the last day to register to vote. If you're not registered in Putnam County yet, the Election Commission at 705 County Services Drive is open 8 AM to 4 PM, and mailed forms postmarked today still count. Early voting runs October 14 through 29. Read the details.

Plenty has a Divergent midnight release tonight. Veronica Roth's new Divergent book, The Sixth Faction, goes on sale Tuesday, and Plenty's Pajama Pick-Up runs 10 PM to midnight at 41 W Broad Street. Wear PJs, grab your copy, and stay to read (there are light snacks). A $28.52 ticket includes the book, or RSVP free and buy it there. Either way, the RSVP tells them how many to order. Nobody has school in the morning. Get a ticket.

Anchor Psychiatry cuts the ribbon Tuesday. The Chamber celebrates this new practice from 12:15 to 12:45 PM at 406 N Whitney Avenue, Suite 2. Board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioners Amy Emerick and Crystal Maxwell handle evaluations and medication management, and a licensed professional counselor offers therapy under the same roof. Visits are in person or virtual, and they take Medicare and most major insurance. Free. Event details.

Cane Creek's fall break camp starts today. The city's day camp runs 7:15 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday, at Cane Creek Recreation Center, 180 C C Camp Road, for kindergarten through age 12. Every day has a theme. Snacks are covered, but you pack the lunch. It's $90 a week with a $5 sibling discount, and part-time works too. Space is limited, so call 931-526-7393 to check for openings. A second week runs October 12–16. Camp details. (More fall break ideas here.)

Jamie's Eats and Sweets teaches a free fall cooking class Wednesday. Jamie Lankford is making Stuffed Pep-O-Lanterns and Pumpkin Cookie Bars from 3:30 to 4:30 PM at the Algood library, 125 Fourth Avenue. It's for ages 12 and up and capped at 25 people, so get there early. Class details.

Downtown Restaurant Week starts today. CityScape and The Biz Foundry run it through Sunday as part of Tennessee Main Street Restaurant Week. Pick up a passport at any of the 14 participating businesses, buy something at five different ones, and turn in the stamped passport at The Biz Foundry by October 12 for a shot at prizes. The route can start with coffee at Soul Craft and a cookie from The French Cookie, then a pint at Red Silo or Dream Country, dinner at Seven Senses or Savor, and a nightcap at 1854. Seven more are on the list! See all 14.

The Slice has a deal for every day of this issue. At 408 W Jackson Street, Monday Funday is $30 for a large one-topping pizza, cheesy breadsticks, up to five soft drinks, and a $20 arcade card (normally $47). On Tuesday, most arcade games are half price all day. On Wednesday, any large one-topping pizza is $10. The Goldie family makes the dough and sauce from scratch and grates the mozzarella fresh. Open 11 to 9. Prices are plus tax, and the deals don't combine. See the specials.

Cookeville has been talking about The Willows for years. On Wednesday evening, somebody finally takes a saw to it.

The new Home Depot at 1110 S Willow Avenue opens with a "board-cutting" from 5 to 5:50 PM. Instead of scissors and a ribbon, Store Manager Michael Walsh takes a handsaw to a decorated board, and the store makes a donation to ALC Building Blocks during the ceremony. (I hope somebody reminds him to measure twice.)

When the ceremony wraps, the doors open for what the store calls Neighborhood Night. The Herald-Citizen puts it at about 6 PM. There are kids' workshops, prize wheels, giveaways, and refreshments, and it's free. With fall break on, that's an easy Wednesday night for any kid who likes hammers.

Thursday is the official grand opening. Doors open at 6 AM, and the store has food trucks, live music, on-site radio, free hats, and totes. After that, it's open 6 AM to 10 PM Monday through Saturday and 8 AM to 8 PM on Sunday.

The bigger story is the shopping center around it. CHM LLC broke ground in April 2025 on a $60 million project, and the city and county put a combined $2.75 million into the roads, traffic signals, and utilities. City Manager James Mills expects the new stores to bring in more than a million dollars in sales tax. Home Depot says it will employ 180 people. Putnam County's first Target opens next door on Sunday. McDonald's, Chewy, and In-N-Out are on the way.

Home Depot has already planned a Trunk or Treat with Power of Putnam on October 24 and a pet adoption day with Carin About The Strays and the Cookeville-Putnam Humane Society on November 21.

If you want to see the saw, be there by 5. If you just want to walk the aisles, come after 6 and give South Willow some patience. If the parking lot is too much, Restaurant Week is running downtown all week.

Opening details

Burks Elementary Principal Heather Tinch is the 2026–27 Tennessee Principal of the Year. The state Department of Education named her Thursday night in Nashville, making her the third Putnam County Schools administrator honored statewide in four years. Tinch told The UC Now she'll use the title to push on chronic absenteeism, and she says Burks' absence rates are already well below the state average.

She's campaigning for showing up. Monterey already got the memo.

Monday, October 5

Moving for Better Balance – A free beginner balance class for seniors and active adults at Cane Creek, 9 to 10 AM

Art Quest – Hands-on art with teacher Annette Romero for ages 12 and up at the Cookeville library, no registration, 10:15 to 11:30 AM

Lunch and Learn: Banned Books – Spencer Traut on the history of banned books and how libraries handle challenges (part one of two), noon to 1 PM

Lego Club – Free building for ages 5 to 12 at the Cookeville library, capped at 25, 3:30 to 4:30 PM

Movie Discount Day at Roasted – The Little Shop of Horrors and A Bucket of Blood, with a discount if you finish the photo challenge, 7 to 10 PM

Pajama Pick-Up – The Divergent midnight release at Plenty, 10 PM

Tuesday, October 6

Story & a Craft – A story, a craft, and a pumpkin seed tasting on the eve of National Pumpkin Seed Day at the Cookeville library, 10 to 11 AM

Rosenwald Schools exhibit – Free at the History Museum, 40 E Broad Street, 10 AM to 4 PM (also Wednesday)

Crafternoon – Drop in to craft or learn beginning crochet with artist Holly Arms at the Algood branch, supplies provided, 12:30 to 4:30 PM

Chess Club – Teens and adults, learners welcome, at the Cookeville library, 3:30 to 7:30 PM

Teen Ghost Story Contest – Lights out upstairs at the Cookeville library while the stories are read and the audience votes, 6 PM

Tennessee Tech Volleyball vs. Chattanooga – A home match at Hooper Eblen, 6 PM

Wednesday, October 7

Crafternoon at Baxter – All-ages crafts with Ms. Tammie at the Baxter branch, supplies included, 11 AM to 1 PM

Children's Cooking Class – Kids 5 to 18 learn to make vegetable soup at the Monterey branch, 3:30 to 4:30 PM

Board Game Club – More than 100 games for teens and adults at the Cookeville library, 3:30 to 7:30 PM

Home Depot Neighborhood Night – The board-cutting at 5, then the doors open with kids' workshops and prize wheels

Club de Lectura en Español – The library's Spanish-language book club, reader's choice, 6 to 7 PM

Shakespeare in the Park – Free All's Well That Ends Well is back on the Dogwood lawn after two dark nights, 7 PM

Looking ahead

Target – Putnam County's first Target opens Sunday at 1100 S Willow Avenue, 8 AM.

The Teen Ghost Story Contest goes lights-out Tuesday. At 6 PM, the Cookeville library at 50 E Broad Street turns off the lights in its upstairs meeting room and reads the stories teens 13 to 17 turned in by Friday. The audience votes. The winner gets the 2026 trophy and a copy of Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. Entries are closed, but listening is free. Event details.

Prince Charming has been at the Cookeville-Putnam County Animal Shelter since August 22. He's a chocolate-and-white Australian Kelpie and Australian Cattle Dog mix, about 9 months old and 33 pounds. After six weeks, the shelter says he's "starting to feel very sad." He's already neutered, so he could go home the day you adopt him. The fee is $170, cash or check. The shelter at 2650 Gainesboro Grade is open today 12 to 5, Tuesday 12 to 6, and Wednesday 12 to 5. He was listed as of last Wednesday, so call 931-526-3647 first. Meet Prince Charming.

Monday 79 / 49 | 4% rain

Tuesday 81 / 53 | 2% rain

Wednesday 83 / 52 | 6% rain

Share this with the friend who's been waiting years for a Target, or the one with kids home all week and a long list of ideas to fill. And if you do Restaurant Week, reply with your five stamps. I'm curious what routes people take, and I'll pass the best ones along Thursday.

Thanks for reading, Cookeville. Enjoy the slow fall break mornings, and I'll see you Thursday. It's sunny all three days and cool at night, so bring a hoodie to Shakespeare. 🧡

-- Travis